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Close Out Your Chimney For The Season

Summer is just around the corner, and that’s pretty exciting. Sunny days and long walks along a wooded path on a warm summer night. Don’t forget hot dogs and marshmallows roasted over a firepit! These days are long and sweet and should be cherished. That’s why it’s a good idea to get some of those summer jobs off of your checklist early. This way so you don’t have to worry about them when you could be enjoying lazy summer days and nights! One of those jobs should be closing out your fireplace and chimney for the season. Nothing beats your annual chimney inspection and cleaning. However, there are some things that you can do to make sure that your chimney is cleaned up before you get this done.

Clean it Up

The first thing that you will want to do is to get the ashes cleaned out. This is an easy job to do whether you use a chimney broom and dust pan or a hand held vacuum. The ashes tend to be lose and hard to control. So, one thing to do to help with this is to sprinkle the ashes with used coffee grounds to hold them down before sweeping them up. If you don’t drink coffee, simply use a spray bottle with water in it and give the ashes a quick spritz before you sweep them up.

Are the bricks of your fireplace are looking a bit dingy? If so, go ahead and spritz them down with a little water and give them a scrub, too. This should freshen up the look of the room. If your fireplace is new, as in built in the last 40 or 50 years, there are hearth cleaners made specially for cleaning your bricks. Having said that, you will want to read the label. This is so you don’t damage the bricks. You can also use a hearth cleaner to shine up your glass fireplace doors.

Dampers

The dampers in your chimney play an important role in your fire burning – in fact, they play a double purpose. One thing they do is to keep the cold outside air from flowing down the chimney and into your home. The opposite is also true – your air conditioned air is kept from flowing up your chimney as well. Your chimney can also harbor some odors, and that’s the second thing that dampers can do. They keep those odors out of your home! It’s really important that you make sure that your dampers are shut tight.

Special Consideration for Gas Fireplaces

If you own a gas fireplace, there’s one thing you need to make sure you’ve done: turn the pilot light off! This pilot light will use energy, so that means a bigger energy bill if you don’t turn it off.

Call in the Pros!

Of course, nothing can replace your annual inspection and cleaning, so your next step is to give Chim Cheroo Chimney Service a call. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, not only does a thorough inspection and cleaning help protect your home from a chimney fire, it can also protect your family from the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. Chim Cheroo Chimney Service is CSIA certified. They can offer expert advice and excellent service. Schedule your chimney inspection and cleaning today!

Be Aware Of Carbon Monoxide Build Up

When you think about burning a fire in your fireplace, your thoughts usually turn to a warm, crackling fire. One that brings comfort to your living room. Maybe to you it means a cozy night playing games and eating popcorn with your family. Perhaps, it means a romantic candlelit dinner for two. It’s fair to say that a fire can evoke great memories. However, it’s important to be aware that the proper precautions must be taken. This is so that you aren’t surprised by an unwelcome concern – carbon monoxide poisoning!

Carbon Monoxide Explained

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced when you burn fuel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website states that this can be any type of fuel. Whether it be your car, furnace, or even your fireplace. If carbon monoxide is allowed to build up in your house, it can cause illness. Consequently, in the worst case scenario, even death.

Carbon Monoxide Symptoms

According to the Mayo Clinic website, if you do have a high level of carbon monoxide in your home, certain symptoms may appear. Some of these are shortness of breath, confusion, nausea and/or vomiting. Also, a dull headache, blurred vision, or in extreme cases, loss of consciousness.

How Does Carbon Monoxide Invade Your Home?

Modern homes are built to be energy efficient, and that is definitely a plus on the heating bill. They are built especially tight, and that means cold air can’t get in. However, the carbon monoxide that is produced needs a place to escape. In the older homes, those cracks that let the air in also let the carbon dioxide out. So, if you have a new home that’s too airtight, you may want to consider something as simple as having a window cracked slightly when you have a fire burning.

What To Do

Do you want to be sure that you won’t have a carbon monoxide build up? If so, the best thing to do is to make sure that your chimney system is cleaned and inspected on an annual basis. The Chimney Safety Institute of America, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Fire Protection Agency, and the American Lung Association are just a few of the agencies that emphasize the importance of annual inspection and cleaning. Also mentioning having it done by a CSIA certified professional, like those at Chim Cheroo Chimney Service! Also, make sure that you have a working carbon monoxide detector. In addition, that you also check and change the batteries on a regular basis.

Who to Call

If you don’t remember when your last chimney cleaning happened, or if you’re worried about the possibility of carbon monoxide build up, you want to call the best in the business. That means the expert technicians at Chim Cheroo Chimney Service. They stay up to date on all the latest regulations and chimney cleaning/inspecting techniques. Your safety is their highest concern, and they will take special care to make sure that your chimney is cleaned and in the best state of repair!